Generally, vacuum cleaner draws in dust or foreign matters on a floor through a brush assembly using a suction force which is generated when a fan motor, mounted inside the cleaner body, is driven.
Vacuum cleaners with improved cleaning efficiency have been provided, in which brushes mounted inside the brush assemblies are rotated by the motors to efficiently draw in dust or foreign matters.
Further, some vacuum cleaners have the brush assemblies equipped with steam generating devices for the purpose of steam cleaning.
In the above-mentioned vacuum cleaners, it is necessary that the power is supplied to the brush assembly to rotate the brush and drive the steam generating device. Accordingly, the vacuum cleaner additionally includes a power supply pipe in which a power line is provided to supply power to the brush assembly.
An example of a conventional pipe structure can be referred to the Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0270655 which discloses a pipe of a vacuum cleaner.
Referring to the Korean Utility Model Registration No. 0270655, a conventional pipe of a vacuum cleaner includes an internal suction pipe which draws in dusts or the like, an internal power supply pipe which includes a power supply means arranged near to a lower portion of the internal suction pipe to supply power to the brush assembly, and an external pipe having respective receiving portions integrally formed therein to receive therein the internal suction pipe and the internal power supply pipe, respectively.
Further, a separate power supply means is provided inside the internal power supply pipe, in which the power supply means includes a fixing member, a movable member and a cover. The fixing member includes hooks formed on both side portions to be inserted into the fixing holes of the cover and to thus form integrated power supply means. The power supply means formed as explained above is then insertedly assembled into the internal power supply pipe.
Further, in the conventional examples, the internal suction pipe and the power supply pipe and the external pipe are made from a metal material.
Accordingly, since a conventional pipe for a vacuum cleaner is relatively heavy, a user has inconvenience when using the vacuum cleaner.
Further, since the conventional pipes are made from metal material and the external pipe has respective receiving portions formed integrally, fabrication is relatively complicated and requires relatively high manufacture cost.
Further, since the pipe of the vacuum cleaner requires a separate power supply means independently from the internal power supply pipe, the configuration becomes complex, and fabrication and assembling become complicated due to use of many unnecessary parts.
Further, since the movable member has a power line fixing groove receiving therein the power line, and a plurality of stamping protrusions with triangular perpendicular cross sections provided to prevent separation of the power line from the power line fixing groove, fabrication is complicated, and supporting force may deteriorate when the movable member is slidably moved inside the power supply means. Further, the cutting edge may cut the power line when placed under pressure.